A Flaw in the Reasoning
by cause.A.scene
Summary: A close call for Bones sheds new light on her current state as a pregnant woman and on her friendship with a certain psychologist. First ever Bones fic. Focuses on Bones and Sweets, but everyone is included!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Hello everyone and welcome to my very first Bones fic! Obviously, I'm new at playing with this show and these characters so I apologize to long-time fans who know this show inside and out if I don't peg them quite right.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, just borrowing the characters for a bit.

**Note: **This takes place somewhere between Seasons 6 and 7 so, Bones is pregnant and Sweets does not have a gun yet. Those are the most important things to take note of.

**Warning: **As far as spoilers go, I will not mention anything that has yet to, or may happen in future episodes. Only things from already aired episodes in the US. As for cursing... I don't think there is any in this chapter but there may be a couple mild ones at some point. I don't like to stray too far from what you would see in the actual show. Also, this is unbeta'd so all mistakes are my own.

I think that's about it, so enjoy!

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><p>Dr. Temperance Brennan slowly made her way down the sidewalk towards the diner that all of her friends and coworkers gathered at so frequently. It was classic behavior for tight-knit groups to find a place of common social standing to discuss the overlaps of work and personal life. For the Jeffersonian team plus Booth and Sweets, that place was The Royal Diner.<p>

She tightened her arms around her shoulders as she walked further into the night. It was certainly not a far walk but the crisp cool air nipped at her and made her want to reach her destination quicker. Normally, she would not have minded this weather as it heralded the onset of autumn, a season that she particularly enjoyed, however this autumn was a little different than the rest. This autumn, she had a fetus growing inside of her and it was entirely dependent on her choices. Therefore, Brennan did not want to expose herself to cool night air too long so as to decrease her chances of getting a cold.

Truth be told, she hadn't planned on this at all. Their current case was at a standstill and had been difficult on everyone so Booth had suggested a short dinner at the diner. Brennan, unlike the others, had turned it down, as she wanted to remain with the bones and search further for any new evidence. However, about ten minutes after they had all left, Brennan had been hit with a sudden wave of hunger. Deciding the needs of her unborn child were worth a short break, she set off for the diner.

A part of her knew that Booth would be unhappy with her decision to walk alone, but it was a short walk and she was perfectly capable of making it on her own. She was not in need of someone holding her hand during every task.

With the diner now in sight, Brennan quickened her pace. She was really quite hungry and, as odd as the feelings were to her, she yearned for some light-hearted banter after such a trying case. She yearned for the company of her friends in a much more pleasant setting and the diner was just that.

She was just about to cross the last street before the diner when she heard someone running up behind her. Knowing that the streets were pretty empty at this time of night, she began to turn around but was cut short when she suddenly felt a constricting arm wrap around her neck.

"Give me your purse!" the man growled, one arm around her neck, the other holding either a gun or a knife to her stomach. "Cell phone, keys, everything!"

Her first reaction was to fight but that thought was quickly thwarted because she knew attempting to fight the man off would put her child at more of a risk. And while trusting that this man would leave her alone if she obeyed his commands was also risky, it seemed to have better odds.

She slowly began to move her hands to her purse when, as suddenly as it had began, Brennan felt the man being ripped away from her. She stumbled and nearly fell due to the sudden force and tried to regain her balance and see what was going on.

On the ground before her were two men, rolling around in a tight hold as they fought. Brennan watched, stunned, but was pulled back to reality when one of the men, her rescuer, yelled, "Run!"

She didn't need to be told twice. She broke off into as much of a sprint as possible towards the diner. Her first thought was to get Booth and she knew he was in there. She tried not to think about what had just happened and who had just rescued her. It was not in her nature to leave someone behind like that and while that fact bothered her, she knew it was simply due to her motherly instincts kicking in. All she could do was get Booth and hope the man who had saved her would be okay.

Finally reaching the diner, she ran up to the window where her friends sat and banged on the glass. She saw them all look up and, after she motioned for Booth to follow, she saw them all jump up and run outside.

"Bones, what…" Booth began as he grabbed her shoulders, but she immediately cut him off.

"S-someone tried to rob me!" she practically yelled, though she hadn't meant to. "Somebody else stopped him and… and they're fighting. It's here!"

She then turned away from him and began running back in the direction she had came.

"Bones, stop!" Booth yelled, grabbing on to her hand and successfully stopping her. "Stay here."

She obeyed, decided it was smarter to remain behind and let Booth clear the scene before she returned. So, she stayed standing amongst Cam, Hodgins and Angela and watched as Booth drew his weapon and raced towards the men who were still fighting.

Before Booth reached them, however, a gunshot rang through the silent night and Brennan was certain her heart had just stopped. A part of her feared the worst: Booth had been shot. She had led him right to his death. However, even though Hodgins had forced both her and Angela behind him, Brennan was still able to see the fact that Booth appeared to be fine. The other two men was a different story.

One of them, presumably the one who'd been shot, was lying on the ground though he did seem to be moving. The other was currently being thrown against a wall and handcuffed by Booth.

Brennan felt a tight feeling in her stomach when she realized her rescuer had just been shot. The four of them stayed there for a second, watching the scene before them unfold, when Brennan heard Booth yell, "Call 911!"

She felt Cam move behind her and knew she was doing as Booth had said but Brennan was more focused on Booth. He had the guy in custody but seemed very distraught at the man lying on the ground. He suddenly looked up at them and she could tell something was very wrong.

"Get over here!" he yelled rather frantically, "Now!"

They all took off, practically running, towards the scene. Brennan kept her eyes moving between Booth and the man on the ground and fell behind the others. Before she got a good look, however, she heard Angela say "Oh my God" as she dropped to her knees beside the man on the ground.

Brennan came closer and before she saw anything else, she saw the slightly wavy hair and knew exactly who it was.

"Sweets," she said under her breath.

Suddenly everything became a blur. She saw the bright red blood against the white button-up shirt, even with Hodgins' hands firmly placed against the source of the bleeding. She saw several other areas of damage on the young man's body from the intense fight he had just been in. She saw, most importantly, the man who had rescued her, the man who also happened to be her friend, dying.

Without further thought, she kneeled on the other side of him and grabbed his hand. She saw that he was still awake through swelling eyes, and tried to get his attention.

"Sweets," she said somewhat loudly once again, "Stay awake! You're going to be fine, stay awake."

She knew it was not right to say things that could proven untrue, but at the same time, she knew that comfort could sometimes be found in potential lies. Regardless, she noticed that a small smile had spread across Sweets' bloodied mouth.

She frowned and assumed he was delusional due to either blood loss or a concussion or both. But then he began to speak.

"You," he began, his voice weak, "You are g-gonna be a… great mother."

His voice drifted off and Brennan thought for a moment he may have fallen unconscious but was relieved to see his eyes remained open. But then his words hit her and suddenly felt tears burn her eyes. She was immediately reminded of having to watch Mr. Nigel-Murray bleed to death not too long ago and she didn't want to endure that again.

"Thank you Sweets," she said softly, "But you have to stay with us."

She saw his eyes search her own and his smile fade. "Don't… cry," he said so softly, it was hard to hear. But not only was she crying, Angela was too.

"Please, Sweets," she said softly. Brennan looked at her and then, for the first time, looked down at the wound itself. Of course, the actual wound was not visible under both Hodgins' and Angela's hands, but Brennan was well aware of its presence given the blood.

"Sweets," Cam said softly as she kneeled beside Brennan, "The ambulance will be here soon, okay? It doesn't seem like the bullet hit anything major, so you have a very good chance. Do you hear me?"

Brennan watched as Sweets slowly nodded his head but noticed his eyes were starting to roll back and his eyelids were fluttering. He was losing consciousness.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Booth yelled from behind them, "Keep him awake! Don't you go to sleep, Sweets. Don't let him go to sleep."

Brennan could hear the fear in his tone and knew that having to watch the criminal instead of being with Sweets was bothering him. Still, he seemed to be well aware of what was happening with the young man.

Finally, the sound of sirens pierced the night as police cars, an ambulance and a fire truck all barreled down the road towards them. Booth then pushed his prisoner towards the road where one of the police cars had just pulled up.

"Get him out of here," he barked to the cop when the man came out. The police officer took the man but seemed to be agitated with Booth.

"And who are you?" the man replied, staring at Booth. "What happened here?"

Brennan was perhaps not the best when it came to human emotions but she knew Booth was beyond irate. He pulled out his badge and practically held it in the man's face.

"I'm Agent Booth and this man," he basically yelled as he pointed at her attacker, "tried to rob a pregnant woman and then when Dr. Sweets, a psychologist for the FBI, attempted to save her, this man shot him. Any more questions?"

The cop, clearly in shock at what he had just walked into, shook his head quickly.

"Good," Booth said, though Brennan missed the remainder of their conversation and actions as the paramedics were now pushing in towards Sweets.

"Thank you," one of them said to Angela and Hodgins, "We've got it from here."

The two of them moved back as did Brennan and Cam when the medics began pulling out supplies. Brennan soon found herself lost in thought as well as odd, unwelcome emotions as she watched the men work on Sweets.

He was too young, she thought desperately to herself. Too young to have been shot, too young to be the one that rescued her. But even as she thought these things, she acknowledged that they were inaccurate; there was no standard age at which getting shot and rescuing others was deemed admissible.

Still, she couldn't help but feel this was all wrong. Booth was the one who always saved her. Booth was the one who would appear out of nowhere, rescue her and perhaps be injured along the way. It wasn't that Brennan liked that, but that was normal. This? Sweets lying on the ground bleeding? This wasn't right.

"We can take one," one of the medics said while they got in position to put Sweets on the stretcher. Booth managed to get in between them and basically lifted Sweets onto the stretcher himself. Afterwards, Brennan realized that everyone was looking at her.

Without thinking, she shook her head no and stepped away. She didn't know why she felt so strongly about this, but she suddenly found it very difficult to even look at Sweets.

"I'll go," Angela said solemnly before grabbing onto Sweets' hand and following them into the awaiting ambulance. They watched in silence as Sweets was loaded in and the ambulance drove away.

TBC

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><p><strong>End Note: <strong>Hope everyone is liking it so far... I know for the Bones community, fics seem to need to focus on Bones and Booth's relationship but here's something different. They are still together, of course, they simply aren't the focus. Thanks for reading everyone and hope you come back for more.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: **So, after some some difficulties uploading this, I'm glad to see the kinks were ironed out and people read it! Thanks a million to everyone who sent me messages about the story not working and to everyone who took the time to review this. It means a lot to me but even if people are just reading, I'm a happy camper!

**Warning: **This is probably my least favorite chapter and it definitely has the things that may push some away: Brennan vs. emotions. I did my best on how I think she may handle them and hopefully it is believable enough for everyone. Other than that, no real warnings. There's a spoiler from _Mayhem on a Cross _and... I don't think language is a problem. Finally, all mistakes are my own.

This picks up right where the last one left off which was the ambulance driving off with Sweets and Angela.

That is is! Enjoy!

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><p>Brennan watched as the ambulance disappeared into the night and subconsciously drew her coat around her tighter.<p>

"Bones," Booth said suddenly as he grabbed her shoulders and made her face him, "Are you okay? Were you hurt at all?"

"No," she replied quickly, "No, I'm fine."

"You were held at gun point," Hodgins interjected, also observing her closely.

Brennan pulled away from Booth's grasp and took a deep breath, "I am well aware of the events that transpired here tonight but I assure you I am fine. I was only held for a matter of seconds before Sweets tackled him."

"Okay," Booth replied, though he continued to observe her almost suspiciously. "Well, let me go talk to the cop then I'll drive us to the hospital," Booth said as he began walking away, clearly in a hurry to get to the hospital.

"Can you believe it?" Hodgins said with a big sigh a moment after Booth walked away, "Sweets. Our little Sweets… A hero…"

"It is pretty amazing," Cam added quietly. "I mean, I've never seen him as a coward... He's just so young and… frail looking."

"On the contrary," Brennan spoke up as she remembered the day she ripped Sweets' shirt off of him, "Dr. Sweets is rather well-built for his small stature."

Brennan noticed both Cam and Hodgins look at her strangely and she briefly wondered why her statement had warranted those looks.

"How do you know that, exactly?" Cam asked slowly.

"I ripped his shirt off," she answered simply, "A man was bleeding out in front of us and I needed a compress. That's also the night I saw the scars on his back," she added, though it suddenly occurred to her that she had never told them about Sweets' scars.

"What scars?" Hodgins asked, but before Brennan could answer, Booth came running over.

"Let's go," he said hurriedly before they all started off towards Booth's car.

The ride to the hospital was a silent one, which permitted Brennan plenty of time to think. Why had she decided to walk to the diner? If she had simply stayed at the Jeffersonian, went with the others when they left or if she had merely driven… none of this would have happened.

She sighed and stared out the window. She did not like feeling this way because it was different than anything she had felt before. Before she realized it, her hand made its way to her stomach where it rested gently.

Was her unborn child the reason for the night's events and her current emotional state? She would have normally tried to fight back in which case Sweets may not have been needed and therefore would have been uninjured. Regardless, she still did not regret that decision to be obedient. However, she was curious whether the pregnancy hormones were making her react differently to this situation than she normally would have…?

Despite her mistrust of psychology, she had always seen Dr. Sweets as a very bright, very capable young man who had, admittedly, provided useful information on several cases. More than that though, he was their baby duck. He was without any family and with Ms. Wick still gone on her month-long tour of Brazil, he currently had no one who was very close to him. And he was so young. Too young to be injured and alone. She found herself wishing that Sweets' adoptive parents could be there for him and nurture him the way he deserved to be. But even that thought seemed foreign to her… Was she already thinking like a typical mother would?

The vehicle soon came to a stop, pulling Brennan from her thoughts and she soon found herself following the others into the busy hospital. She was somewhat aware of Cam and Booth questioning the clerk but it was Hodgins who got all of their attention when he spotted Angela down the hall, looking though a window.

They immediately made their way over to her and Brennan found herself feeling nauseated at the sight of the blood covering Angela's hands and clothes.

"You okay?" Hodgins quickly asked once he reached her.

Brennan found it odd that Hodgins was inquiring about Angela's well being given she was not injured, but as a further surprise, Angela shook her head no.

"He stopped breathing in the ambulance," she replied, her voice shaking with tears but she didn't take them off the scene inside the room. "Apparently the guy punched him in the throat or something because… it was so swollen. I barely noticed it with everything else that was going on but… all of the sudden, he couldn't breathe."

Brennan felt her stomach clench uncomfortably. The bones in the throat were very difficult to damage given their natural protection of size, shape and location but if they were fractured, it could be pretty bad for Sweets.

"But they got him breathing again, right?" Booth asked quickly, his eyes darting between the room and Angela.

Angela nodded and wiped her eyes, careful not to transfer the blood from her hands to her face. "They tried to put a tube down his throat but… it was too swollen and he wasn't breathing so they almost had to cut a hole…" she finished as her hand touched the base of her own neck.

"Tracheotomy," Cam clarified as she took an unsteady breath.

"What is that?" Booth asked, his attention now fully on Cam.

She sighed and shook her head. "They cut a hole in the trachea, below the swollen area, which enables him to breathe," she answered slowly as she used her hand to motion where the tracheotomy most likely had been placed. "It sounds a lot worse than it is."

"But they didn't do it, right?" Hodgins asked, staring expectantly at Angela. "You said they almost did…"

Angela nodded, "They had the knife and everything but then the one guy got the tube down his throat…"

Before any of the had time to comment further, Angela was pushing them aside to make way for the medial personnel now passing by them with Sweets on the gurney. Brennan tried to get a look at him but wasn't able to see much other than the fact that Sweet's shirt had been removed, allowing them a brief glimpse of the discolored and bloody skin on his chest and abdomen.

"How is he?" Booth asked a man who appeared to be a doctor, "Where are they taking him?"

"Up to surgery," the doctor answered simply, "We were able to stabilize him but the surgeons will need to explore the abdomen to see what all damage was done by the bullet and possibly the blunt force trauma from the fight."

Cam then cleared her throat and stepped forward slightly to say ,"Your preliminary findings?"

"It's hard to say," the man replied as he rubbed his head, "The abdomen is rather complicated, however, I do not think anything major was hit. Also, given the hasty medical attention, I'd say he has a good fighting chance but don't quote me on that."

Brennan took a deep breath and found herself feeling some relief at the doctor's words. She remembered Cam saying it was unlikely the bullet hit anything major as there wasn't too much blood produced from the wound so this doctor repeating that thought certainly helped sooth her.

"As for the numerous other injuries," he continued, "The x-rays will tell us more but I certainly expect a few fractures throughout his body."

"I would like a copy of those x-rays, please," Brennan said suddenly as she felt the overwhelming need to make sure nothing was missed.

The doctor frowned and began to say, "I'm sorry but…"

"Your patient is a psychologist for the FBI and this is Dr. Temperance Brennan, the world-renowned forensic anthropologist," Booth interrupted sternly as he took out his own FBI badge, "She analyses bones for a living. Look her up if you need to, but she's more qualified to examine those x-rays than anyone here, I can guarantee you that. "

The doctor did not speak right away but eventually nodded. "I will get you a copy of them."

"Thank you," Cam answered on everyone's behalf. Brennan found herself feeling very thankful to Booth for standing up for her, though she wish she didn't need to explain herself.

"In the mean time," the doctor continued, "your friend was taken upstairs. They will be able to help you from now on."

After the doctor walked away, the rest of them made their way to the elevator and up to the second floor, which housed the hospital's surgical department. After being directed to the waiting room, Brennan found herself wanting to be alone all of the sudden.

"I have to go to the bathroom," Angela said before she sat down. Brennan glanced at her and saw her observing her clothing and hands with a nauseated look on her face.

"Do you want me to take you home?" Hodgins asked as he stood up and grabbed her forearms.

Angela shook her head in response, "No, we can't leave now. We need to know if he's okay…"

Hodgins nodded and broke away from her. He searched his surroundings for a moment and eventually walked over to a passing nurse.

"Excuse me," he said softly, "Is there any way you can get her a… scrub shirt or something? She's covered in our friend's blood."

"Absolutely," the young nurse replied. A few moments later, she returned with some folded, pale green garments which Angela accepted greatly and left for the restroom.

Brennan, on the other hand, took the time to realize she was the only one who didn't have Sweet's blood on her. Cam had very little but she did have proof of being present during the whole ordeal, but Brennan did not. For some reason, that seemed wrong.

Brennan sighed and tried to get a hold of herself.

She knew she was usually not one to be clouded by emotion so she could logically assume the chemical instability in her body caused by her pregnancy was to blame for the sudden onset of these strong feelings. That being said, she could not quite pinpoint what was bothering her the most. Was it that young Dr. Sweets was severely injured while rescuing her? Was it the fact that, given her distrust of his chosen profession, she was worried that he could die before she was able to tell him she actually cared for him?

But really, it came down to her unborn child. Her regrettable decision to walk to the diner not only put Sweets in danger of losing his life, it had also put her unborn child and herself in a great deal of danger as well. She suddenly remembered how the man held the tip of his gun against her stomach, directly over where her child was.

She had risked so much tonight.

All of the sudden, she felt trapped. She felt as though she were drowning and yet she didn't want anyone to come near her. She wanted nothing more than to get out of the hospital and go home.

No longer able to mask her current anxieties, she stood up but just as she did, she heard her name being called. She turned around to see a young female nurse walking towards her.

"Dr. Brophy wanted me to give these to you," the young nurse said as she handed Brennan a large envelope. "Inside are the x-rays of Mr. Sweets."

She looked at the envelope carefully for a moment before quietly saying, "Thank you."

"You going to take a look at them?" Booth asked from his chair, at which point Brennan realized they were all looking at her.

She considered his question for a moment before answering, "No, I would rather do this at home."

Booth frowned and she found herself wishing he wouldn't press the matter.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly after standing up and getting closer to her.

"I told you, I'm fine…"

He shook his head, "I can see you're upset. You have every right to be… what happened tonight was…"

But she didn't want to hear it and she didn't want to sit here and wait, constantly worrying that a doctor would walk out and say Sweets was dead. If that was going to happen, she'd rather be in her own home, hearing it from Booth or perhaps Angela. Not here, not like this.

"No, Booth," she said, interrupting him and pulling away, "I just want to go home…"

"I will take you home right after the doctor tells us how Sweets is," Booth replied, grabbing onto her arms again. "You do want to know, right?"

Brennan snatched her arms away once again as a sudden, but brief, bout of anger shot through her. "Of course I want to know," she said a bit louder than she had expected.

"Family of Lance Sweets," came a voice, interrupting their conversation. Everyone else, who had, no doubt, been listening to their conversation, stood up and quickly approached the doctor.

"How is he?" Angela asked first as they all huddled around the older man. Brennan, though still wanting to escape from the hospital as soon as possible, knew it was best to listen to the doctor first but she found the anticipation to be physically painful.

"He's alive," the man replied quickly, which allowed Brennan's stomach to ease slightly. "Mr. Sweets was very lucky as the bullet quite literally took one of the best possible trajectories through his abdomen and only nicked a few important things in there."

"Thank God," Brennan heard Angela whisper and while she couldn't quite agree with Angela's choice of expression, Brennan certainly shared the relief.

"We will be keeping him for a little while to monitor the healing and make sure we got everything as well as to keep an eye on his concussion, though I think all of those were pretty well squared away," the man continued as he took a deep breath and placed his hands on his hips. "As for the smaller injuries, he received two broken ribs - neither of which pose any threat to any organs – broken ankle and clavicle and his fair share of bumps and bruises."

"But you expect a full recovery?" Cam pressed, a question Brennan was also interested in.

"I do," the doctor replied. "As I said, we will be monitoring him for a bit, just to be certain, but I fully expect a full recovery as long as he follows all of the rules his doctor gives him and has supportive friends and family."

"Good," Booth said, nodding his head as he exhaled, "Very good news, doc, thanks."

"Yes, thank you," Angela added.

"Can we see him?" Hodgins then asked as he placed an arm around Angela's waist.

"Not tonight," the man answered simply. "It's late, far past our visiting hours, and he's going to be out all night anyway. But feel free to come back starting at eight tomorrow morning. Any other questions?"

"No," Cam answered first, "Thank you."

Once the doctor left, Cam began speaking again right away.

"We can meet at seven tomorrow for breakfast at the diner, be here by eight and after seeing him, we can try to work out some sort of rotation so that he won't be alone all day," she spoke swiftly, as though she knew Brennan wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. "Agreed?"

Everyone nodded and then, after Cam and the others insisted on catching a cab back to the lab to get their own cars, Booth finally escorted Bones to his car.

"I know you're not okay," he said once they were on their way back to her place, "And you don't have to talk to me about it but… please just try to focus on the fact that you and our baby were not injured and Sweets is going to be alright, okay?"

Brennan nodded, though it was mostly to appease Booth. She knew very well that, given the situation, the outcomes were fairly favorable. It was the cause of the situation that had her upset. The cause, being her unfortunate decision to walk herself to the diner.

She closed her eyes tried to center her attention instead on something she knew was productive: the case she had been working on.

And, as they pulled into the drive, she decided that her time and concentration would be far better served back in the lab.

TBC

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><p><strong>EN: <strong>This is definitely ending up more in depth on Brennan than I originally expected but I'm finding it fun to toy with her when she's pregnant: allows more interaction with those emotions she so desperately avoids.

Again, I hope it was still believable for everyone and that you come back for more. As for the next chapter, we will be changing the point of view to someone else, though the focus will remain the same (I like to change things up!) Thanks so much for reading and hope you come back for more!


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: **Hello everyone! Firstly, thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. Always greatly appreciated, especially since this is my first Bones fic. I'm really enjoying it so far so that's good. Otherwise, I hope everyone is enjoying thus far and will continue to do so :) I did just get a new job and paired with classes, I'm pretty busy but it'll happen!

**Warning: **A few curse words but nothing crazy. Also, this is unbeta'd so all mistakes are my own. Finally, as I mentioned before, this chapter does change point of view, but it's very clear.

Now, enjoy chapter three!

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><p>Booth slowly made his way into the Royal Diner, taking a moment to remember how Bones had run up to the window so frantically the night before. God, he had been so scared. One minute everyone had been laughing about something stupid, the next minute he was running towards a bleeding Sweets.<p>

Booth shook his head and entered the diner. He was running slightly later than they had planned due to Bones' unexpected insistence to be taken to the lab. He was well aware that she was struggling with everything that had happened, he just didn't know the best way to handle it. So, he hadn't argued with her.

"Where's Brennan?" Angela asked before he got the chance to sit down.

He sighed and took a seat next to Cam. "The lab," he answered before reaching over and taking Hodgins' untouched piece of toast. "Do you mind?"

Hodgins shook his head and frowned. "I'm surprised," he said slowly, "And yet I'm surprised that I'm surprised."

"Nicely articulated," Angela replied with the slightest sense of annoyance. "Is she okay? She seemed a little off last night but I just assumed it was because of what happened but… I thought for sure she would want to see Sweets."

Booth shook his head nonchalantly, "She's fine. Probably just a little shaken up and you know, she feels safe in her lab with her bones. Besides, she wants to be kept up to date about Sweets. She cares, she just needs some time."

Everyone seemed to nod quietly and continue eating or making small talk. The truth was, Booth didn't know if Bones was fine but he didn't want the others to make a big deal about it. Perhaps he didn't know the best way to handle the situation but he knew Bones well enough to know that a bunch of people feeling sorry for her and being worried would only make things worse.

"Well," Cam said finally as everyone finished up his or her breakfast, "Our current case certainly needs to be solved, so there's a plus to Dr. Brennan staying at the lab. But we do need to discuss the rest of the day. The case comes first, given that we know Sweets is okay, but I'd like it if there was someone with him as much as possible today."

Angela sat up straighter and said, "Well, the only thing I have to do is finish examining the remaining footage from the hotel our victim was last seen at. It's a good couple of hours worth, but after that there isn't anything else I can do so far."

"That works out nicely for me," Hodgins added as he took a sip of his coffee, "I have a few things to look through but I'll have a couple of hours I could spare while the results are prepared. So I could go there before Ange, but I do need to go to the lab beforehand for a bit."

"I can probably stay with him until you get there," Booth said to Hodgins as he thought about the day's plans. "I'm going to talk to the vic's school counselor around twelve thirty and until then I can coordinate everything else from the hospital."

"It's settled then," Cam said as they began to rise from their table, "Booth, you'll take first watch, then Hodgins, Angela, me and hopefully by that time, we can all meet up."

"Yeah," Angela interjected as she pulled her coat around her, "And hopefully Brennan will join us for that."

Booth kept his mouth shut on the topic as they made their way to their respective vehicles and set off for the hospital. This thing with Bones was eating at him. He knew she experiencing added emotions due to her pregnancy and he also knew she wasn't the best at dealing with emotions when she couldn't simply reason them away. And he figured this was likely one of those times.

Still, what was he supposed to do? Urge her to face those emotions? Even then, did that entail simply talking about it or forcing her to see Sweets?

And that was another thing… Sweets. The kid had been beaten to a pulp and shot, all to save Bones. Of course Booth was more than glad he did it, given that woman and the child she was carrying meant the world to him, but at the same time, Booth should have been there. Not Sweets.

It was a thought that kept trying to push its way from the backburners of his brain; he could have stopped all of this. He never should have left her there alone. Sure, she had been in one of her determined moods to solve the case and he had been hungry, but regardless, he shouldn't have left her. Or, he wished now that he hadn't left her.

Luckily, as Booth pulled into a space in the hospital's parking garage, those painful thoughts slipped away again and he focused instead on meeting up with the others. Truth be told, he needed to see Sweets and for several reasons. Firstly, Booth couldn't shake the image of the kid writhing in pain after Booth had tackled the attacker. Booth had no choice but to sit there and watch as Sweets' movements had grown slower and weaker and try his damnedest not to choke the man who'd threatened Bones' life and came so close to taking Sweets'.

But more than all of that, Booth needed to thank Sweets. There was no way of knowing if that man would have tried to kill, or even hurt, Bones but one thing was for sure: Sweets had done a damn good job of significantly lowering those possibilities and that was enough for Booth.

He took a deep breath as he followed the others up to the third floor where Sweets was apparently being kept. Even though he wanted to see the kid, a part of him was nervous. He couldn't say why, exactly, but figured it was due to his limited capabilities in the art of bedside manner. He was not an outwardly sentimental man but he knew he needed to be there as best her could for Sweets, given that the Jeffersonian team and himself were all Sweets really had at the moment.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Redding," a middle-aged woman greeted with a genuinely warm smile after they checked into the desk. "I've been overseeing Dr. Sweets' recovery and am pleased to say all is going well thus far. I just want to fill you all in on a few things before you go in."

Booth and everyone else nodded, eagerly awaiting more news.

"We completed a scan about an hour ago and saw no additional bleeding in the abdomen, which is a very good sign, and we currently see no evidence of infection in his plethora of wounds," she spoke calmly, her tone upbeat. "To add to the good news, Dr. Sweets seems to be in high spirits despite his pain."

"Wait so he's awake?" Angela asked quickly and Booth was sure she wanted to get to Sweets as soon as possible.

"He was when I last checked on him," Dr. Redding answered, nodding. "He isn't really able to stay asleep for long periods of time given his injuries…"

Now it was Cam who interrupted, "Why is he in so much pain?" she questioned, almost as though she were annoyed by the doctor's words. "Surely you're supplying painkillers…?"

Dr. Redding, clearly unaffected by Cam's comment, shook her head. "He have him on very light painkillers, per his request."

"What?" Hodgins said suddenly. "He doesn't want morphine?"

"Why?" Booth asked after the doctor shook her head. "Won't the drugs help him recover?"

He knew from experience that painkillers made a world of difference in the healing process.

"They would make it easier," she replied with a shrug. "I would prefer him to take something that would allow him to get some actual rest but many patients prefer a more natural approach. Either way, it won't hurt his recovery and it's what he wants. Besides, having visitors will certainly take his mind off the pain so it may be exactly what he needs."

She then smiled and motioned to the room behind her, "Feel free to go see him but I must ask, if he is sleeping, let he remain so."

Everyone nodded and almost immediately made their way to the room. Booth frowned as he considered what the doctor had told them. He had known men who didn't want to mess around with strong painkillers if they could help it, but Sweets never really struck Booth as that kind.

Either way, before stepping into the small room, Booth took a deep breath and tried to make his face neutral. Unfortunately, it didn't last long once he actually saw Sweets.

The first thing he noticed, as always, were the machines connected by wire to various parts of Sweets' body. Once Booth got past that sight, he took in the large, white cast on the kid's left foot and the sling covering his right arm. Finally, Booth's eyes made their way to the young man's face and felt his stomach turn uncomfortably as he took it in; busted lip, patched gash on his forehead and both eyes were so bruised and swollen, it took Booth a few moments to realize they were open.

"Hey," he greeted in a week and raspy voice, apparently alerting everyone to the fact that he was, indeed, awake. "You're all here!"

"Holy hell, man," Hodgins spoke up first in an exasperated tone, "You look awful."

"Hodgins…," Angela chided quietly, but Sweets chuckled at the comment.

"It looks worse than it is," he replied as he painfully shifted in his bed. He then looked around and seemed to frown. "Is… is Dr. Brennan okay?"

Booth felt his muscles tense up as he realized Sweets was unaware of the fact that Bones was alive and well.

"Sweetie, she's fine," Angela answered softly as she gently placed her hand on Sweets' uninjured shoulder. "You do remember saving her right?"

He half-shrugged in response but almost seemed embarrassed by Angela's comment. "I remember bits and pieces."

"Well, you were pretty amazing last night," Cam spoke now, speaking on all of their behalves.

Sweets smiled slightly, again looking embarrassed, but quickly changed the subject. "So, shouldn't you guys be at the lab or something?"

"We'll be leaving in just a minute," Cam replied, "But we didn't want you to be here alone."

Sweets shifted painfully again and said, "Wow… thank you. I really appreciate it."

A few more minutes passed where mostly everyone but Sweets spoke until it became apparent that he had fallen asleep.

"I guess that's our cue," Hodgins said softly.

"Keep us updated," Angela added as the others made their way out of the room. Booth nodded and waved. He then placed the nearest chair at Sweets' bedside and took a seat. He had hardly said anything while the others were there but suddenly found himself wanting to talk to Sweets.

He couldn't get the whole situation out of his head, especially since he actually saw the kid. He had thought seeing Sweets would make him feel better, but it honestly hadn't. Thankfully, Sweets was in a very positive mood but purely based on looks, it was worse than Booth had imagined it would be. Of course, Booth knew it actually did look worse than it was due to swelling and bruising but it didn't make looking at the young psychologist any easier.

And as bad as these thoughts were, they kept leading to Bones. To how close he'd come to losing her and how he was going to help her get through this. And, ironically enough, that led back to Sweets: he would normally ask Sweets what to do in this situation but Booth wondered if that was appropriate.

Booth sighed and leaned forward, placing his head in his hands. He really wasn't that great at dealing with intense situations like these. He always tried to, of course, and took the course he thought was right but ultimately, he knew it wasn't his forte.

"Looks like you've got a lot on your mind," came a soft, tired voice.

Booth sat up quickly and observed the swollen, tired eyes staring back at him.

"Were you faking sleep?"

"No," Sweets replied with a small laugh, "Sleep comes in short waves."

Booth stood up and grabbed the glass of water on the bedside table and brought the straw to Sweets' lips. "Yeah, because you won't let them give you the good stuff."

Sweets finished drinking and said, "If you're referring to drugs, I just prefer to keep a clear head."

"Why?" Booth countered as he took his seat again, "You don't have to be a shrink right now…"

Sweets smiled and replied, "Kind of looked like you need one a second ago…"

Booth stopped and considered his comment. There was some truth to it but now was hardly the time to talk about all of it with Sweets… Right?

"Don't use your mind tricks to make this about me," Booth replied with a laugh, trying to remain light-hearted. "What's the real reason you don't want drugs?"

Sweets kept quiet for a minute then took a deep breath, "We'll make a deal," he said finally, "I'll tell you why I don't want the painkillers if you tell me what's going on with you."

Booth considered this; part of him didn't want to share anything but at the same time, his curiosity got the better of him.

"Fine," he said finally, leaning back in his chair.

Sweets shifted and scratched his cheek where the nasal cannula grazed it and took a deep breath. "My first foster dad was addicted to painkillers, among other things. Wasn't very pleasant so I decided I'd stay away from them. Besides, I really do prefer to keep a clear head. I'll occasionally indulge in alcohol but I've only smoked pot once, if you can believe it."

Booth laughed, choosing to concentrate on his last statement, as it seemed to be what Sweets wanted as well. "Actually, I can definitely believe that."

Sweets laughed along with him and as the laughter simmered, Sweets cleared his throat and said, "So what's eating Seeley Booth?"

Booth, shaking his head at the Gilbert Grape reference, sighed and looked away for a moment as he began to talk.

"It's all of this, you know?" he began, his eyes wandering and returning to Sweets intermittently. "Bones, she could've died… you almost did… And now she's burying herself in work and I don't know how to help her."

Sweets seemed to be thinking about Booth's words for a few minutes before he eventually said, "You're being a bit dramatic, don't you think?"

Booth frowned. "Um, what was that?"

Sweets half-shrugged and replied, "I didn't _almost _die…"

"Sweets, you were shot in the gut and beaten," Booth countered, still thrown off by this conversation. "That's pretty damn close."

"Flesh wounds," he replied, though Booth could tell he was thrown off as well by the bluntness.

Booth stared at him for a minute and said, "Are you positive you're not hyped up on something?"

Sweets face changed and he almost seemed embarrassed. "Sorry," he said finally, "I was trying a new approach. Keeping it less… heavy, if you will."

Booth continued to watch him, still surprised by what he was saying but Booth suddenly found it somewhat comical.

"Seriously though," Sweets continued, again shifted in his bed with a very pained expression, "Right now you are experiencing several different emotions: fear due to Dr. Brennan and your unborn child being threatened, guilt that you weren't there to protect her, guilt that I was injured while protecting her instead and confusion as to how to help her through all of this. All of these emotions, though normal, are unnecessary."

Booth relaxed back into his chair as Sweets got back to his normal, shrinky self. It really was quite amazing how the kid could practically read his mind as though it were the easiest thing in the world.

"Why unnecessary?"

"Because," he replied simply as he gently rubbed a finger over the bandaged gash on his head, "you can't protect Dr. Brennan all of the time; it's impossible and she would hate it if you tried. That's one those things you'll just have to come to terms with, as well as the fact that yes, something could happen to her and/or your child at any given time, just as something could happen to you. The only way to maintain sanity is to focus on the fact that they weren't injured and you have no reason to believe they will be in the future."

At this point, Sweets went to reach for his water but gasped and winced when he apparently pulled something. Booth swiftly reached out and offered him the straw again.

"Thank you," he said once he finished drinking. "Now, as for what happened to me… anyone one of you would have done the same for her or for any of us. It just so happened I was there and quite frankly, I was expecting far worse than this when I decided to help her. So, I consider myself lucky."

Booth listened carefully and briefly wondered if Sweets had expected to die last night. The thought made his stomach clench tightly but when Sweets continued to talk, it took Booth's mind off the matter.

"Finally, the best way you can begin to help her is to help yourself first," he continued, his swollen eyes firmly on Booth's. "Try to take the things I just said to heart because imagine your feelings right now amplified by a million, and then you have a pregnant woman's reaction."

Booth sighed. He knew Sweets was right but that still didn't give him an answer. "Yeah, but Sweets… it's Bones. She doesn't do emotions."

"Exactly," he countered, "which is why she's turned to the only thing she knows: science. But those emotions are too much for anyone, even a master compartmentalizer like Dr. Brennan. What she needs right now are her friends and you. So, solve this case and be there for her."

The way he said it made it all seem so easy. And maybe it was easier than Booth realized he just needed to start doing it. Still, there was something he needed to ask.

"What about you?" he asked carefully, unsure of how to ask it.

"What about me?"

Booth shifted in his plastic chair. "Should I try to get her to see you? It may help when she sees you're awake… and okay."

Sweets seemed to consider this before answering, "Well, I'm her biggest reminder of those emotions she's trying to avoid so… Just let her come to terms with everything herself. Be it here or at work in a week or two, she'll have to face me and those emotions eventually."

Booth cringed at his choice of words; the idea of Bones having to "face" Sweets just didn't sound right. But at the same time, his words made sense.

"So," Booth continued, wanting to steer away from the current conversation, "You think you'll be back in a week or two?"

"That's the plan," he said softly, clearly getting tired.

"Alright, wonderboy," Booth said, knowing his time with a lucid Sweets was diminishing, "One more thing before you doze off…"

Sweets turned his head slightly as though he were studying Booth.

"Thank you," Booth replied quickly, "For… for what you did."

"Don't mention it," he replied with a smile, then closed his eyes. Booth sat back in his chair, feeling more at ease than he had all day. Regardless of how annoying the kid could be at times, Booth really was happy to have him in his life.

* * *

><p><strong>EN: <strong>Hope everyone liked it. I'm still playing with the characters so hope they're all still right. Review if you can but more importantly, just come back and read more! Until next time!


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: ** Hellooooo! So sorry it took this long but life took hold of me. The good news is I have a new job and almost done with the bulk of my classes! The bad? I got behind on this bad boy! You win some, you lose some I guess. Still, apologies.

**Warning: **All mistakes are my own. Otherwise, I don't think there's too much to be worried over here.

As a general note, thank you so much to everyone who read and reviewed. I don't really know how I feel about this chapter but hopefully it will be okay for some of you.

Enough chatting, enjoy!

* * *

><p>Brennan took a deep breath and tried to focus on the computer before her. It was nearly nightfall, everyone else had recently left and, given that they had solved the case, Brennan had little else to do. She was unsure as to why this bothered her so badly, but knew it had a lot to do with avoiding the hospital. She sighed, then and corrected herself: It was Sweets she was avoiding.<p>

Anthropologically speaking, it was not common for a person to avoid an injured member of his or her own group. On the contrary, the common response to said scenario was for the group to surround and support the injured member until they were healed or deceased. Therefore, her behavior towards Sweets' injuries was irrational. Unless Brennan did not see Sweets as a part of her group, but that thought unsettled her further as she cared deeply for the well-being of Sweets.

Brennan closed her laptop and sat back in her chair, feeling suddenly frustrated. Her behavior had recently been illogical all around. Sure, the hormones and chemical changes in her body due to pregnancy could explain some inconsistencies, but she found it very difficult to simply accept that as an excuse for everything.

She briefly found herself imaging the various remarks Sweets would have if she presented him with her current thoughts, but stopped herself. Certainly the answer to her problems could not be found in psychology and therefore she was wasting her time even considering it. But then again, she recently found herself listening to what the young psychologist said and even heeding his advice. She would never consider psychology to be a hard science, but she couldn't deny that Sweets was usually correct in his observations and hypotheses.

Before she could consider the conundrum further, she felt her phone vibrate.

"Brennan."

"_Hey," _Angela's voice sounded on the other end, "_Are you still at the lab?_"

"Yes, is there something you need?"

"_Oh, no,_" she responded, her tone sounding very uncommon for Angela, which made Brennan worry for some reason. "_We all stopped by to see Sweets and… apparently he's sick…_"

Brennan frowned and suddenly felt a strange, unpleasant feeling in her stomach. "Sick? In what way?"

"_I don't know… He has a fever and the doctor seems a little concerned," _Angela replied, her concerned tone growing stronger. "_Look, sweetie, I know this is hard for you but it's been two days and… what if this is something bad? Like, really bad. _"

Brennan found herself temporarily muted as she considered the situation.

"I do not claim to be a medical doctor," Brennan replied after a moment of thought, "but hospitals are very concentrated with various illnesses. When you combine that with the fact that his immune system was most likely compromised due to the recent trauma, I would propose he simply caught one of those illnesses."

She heard Angela sigh but wasn't certain if it was a positive response or not. "_You're probably right. I'm just worried, you know? Anyway, I know it's a silly thought but you didn't see anything out of the norm on his bone scans, did you?_"

Brennan felt that strange feeling in her stomach intensify at this inquiry. "I have not had a chance to examine the x-rays."

"_Oh…,_" Angela replied after a moment of silence. "_Really?_"

"Yes, really," Brennan replied, sounding more defensive than she had planned. "It has been very busy around here."

"_Yeah sweetie, I know. It just isn't like you,_" Angela replied with a tone Brennan was sure housed a hint of annoyance. "_I'll let you get back to whatever you're doing._"

Before Brennan had a chance to reply, Angela was gone. She found herself temporarily shocked as she stared at her phone. Was Angela mad at her for not visiting Sweets? Or perhaps Angela was simply overwhelmed with emotions and the situation that she seemed upset. Either way, Brennan did not like it.

She glanced over to the untouched envelope that held Sweets' x-rays. She wondered briefly why she hadn't examined then yet, but the thought of Sweets getting worse pushed those thoughts aside.

She stood up, grabbed the scans and felt her jaw drop the moment she started looking at them. This was certainly not what she was expecting in the least.

Lance Sweets was tired of being so out of control. True, it had only been two days since the incident, but two days was enough. He appreciated the medical personnel who had saved his life and nurtured him back to healt and he was thankful for his friends who had helped him with anything else he needed. But the thing was, he didn't want to need assistance anymore. He couldn't deny he was weak and physically incapable of completed even the most basic of tasks, but it was starting to get to him.

Now, everyone seemed on edge because he had caught a cold. And Sweets was certain that was all it was: a cold. He had a slight fever, sore throat and a cough… hardly anything to be concerned over.

He sighed, knowing that the doctor was probably worried about infections and thus this incessant testing, poking and prodding was necessary. But that didn't mean he had to like it.

Luckily, however, it finally all stopped and as soon as the doctor said it appeared to be nothing more than a cold, in walked his friends.

Sweets smiled, trying to be as welcoming as possible. "You know, you guys really don't have to keep coming by," he croaked as they made their way into the room.

"We know," Hodgins replied.

"Well," Booth spoke now as he sat on the corner of Sweets' bed and eyed the cup of jello on the table, "We were just stopping by on the way to get some real food. Although I'm sure you love the stale biscuits and watery mashed potatoes."

Sweets smiled, knowing Booth was avoiding the issue by making a joke. Either way, it made everyone chuckle.

"Well, I think I'll be getting out of here tomorrow," Sweets responded with a sigh. He was more than ready to break out of the hospital.

"That's wonderful," Cam replied, a point to which everyone seemed to agree.

Angela frowned then and said, "Wait, who are you going to stay with?"

The smile quickly faded from Sweets' face as he realized he had not considered the situation thoroughly enough to address her question. In the past, anytime he'd been injured or ill, there had been someone there – namely his parents – to take care of him. Now, that wasn't the case.

"You can stay with us," Cam said, though Sweets was sure she was more hesitant than she let off. "Michelle has a long weekend so she can help out some."

Sweets quickly shook his head. "No, no… I couldn't impose on you and your daughter. Look, I'm perfectly capable of…"

"Of what?" Hodgins interjected, "Spinning in circles in a wheelchair? Dude, you have a broken ankle and collarbone. Your motor skills are less than ideal right now."

Sweets closed his eyes. Hodgins was right; he wasn't really capable of moving around on his own until he was able to use crutches and given that he was very much alone currently, this posed a real problem. But it was one that he did not want his friends to be forced to deal with.

"Hey, sweetie," Angela spoke softly as she put her hand lightly on his shoulder, "we'll figure something out. But you can't stay alone, and you know that."

He was about to change the subject when he heard shuffling at his door.

"Bones," Booth said suddenly as he stood up. Surprised, Sweets followed Booth's gaze to see Dr. Brennan swiftly walking into the room. He was going to smile, as he was happy to see her, but stopped when he noticed the determined look on her face and the x-rays in her hand. Suddenly, Sweets knew exactly why she was there.

"Dr. Brennan…"

"Sweets, I looked over your x-rays and was highly surprised to discover an extensive history of injuries," she said briskly, coming to stand by the edge of his bed as she held one of the scans up against the light. "Just here, this fracture was sustained within the past five years along with several others, which would suggest perhaps a car accident. Then there are much older ones that were no doubt sustained during childhood but are not consistent with being whipped."

Sweets' stomach clenched as she continued and noticed the shocked looks on everyone else's faces.

"Bones…," Booth said finally, grabbing her by the shoulders and pulling her away. "This is really not…"

"No, Booth," she replied as she pulled away, "These x-rays imply a long history of serious injuries and we, as a family-like group, have an obligation to ensure there is not some underlying issue. Most of the injuries are rather old but they are nonetheless unusual for a man under thirty with his profession."

Sweets frowned and found himself more curious than upset. Had he known Brennan was going to see his x-rays, he would have expected a reaction similar to this. Not quite as grand, but similar. He definitely had a colorful history when it came to injuries but they were far less sinister than she was assuming them to be. He knew, however, her overreaction was most likely due to her complicated emotions and guilt over avoiding him.

"Yeah, but Bones…."

"No," Sweets said calmly. It was quite clear by the looks on everyone's faces that this needed to be cleared up. "It's okay. I think it would be best to stop everyone's minds from wandering."

Sweets saw no signs of protest, not that he expected to, and took a deep breath after a slight coughing fit.

"The earlier injuries were from my biological father and one of my foster dads. Nothing serious and nothing I can remember too well," he said simply. "Then, around the age of thirteen, I was pushed down the stairs by a school bully. Turns out he was being beaten daily by his own father and we ended up being friends later."

Sweets smiled slightly as he remembered that kid and wondered where he was now.

"The worst of them was, in fact, a car accident," he continued as he remembered a really awful time in his life. "I was hit by a drunk driver and spent a couple weeks in the hospital and several months in physical therapy. That was… wow, that was about a year and a half before I started working for the FBI. Then I think there was a cracked rib when we got into our car accident," he finished, looking at Brennan.

"With the sword-wielding knight?" she asked, her brows furrowed.

"Wait, you seemed completely fine," Cam said suddenly after Sweets nodded.

Sweets half-shrugged. "I _was_ fine. It was a cracked rib…"

"Yeah, which hurts like hell," Hodgins said then, looking exasperated.

Sweets, now feeling overwhelmed and embarrassed, wanted this conversation to end. "Look, the point is I'm fine. I do appreciate the concern, Dr. Brennan, but really and truly, I've just had a few patches of bad luck. Or perhaps good luck, given that I'm still alive."

Sweets finished and suddenly felt very tired and pained. He was quite certain his fever had elevated and he wanted nothing more than to turn off the lights, add a couple layers of comforters to his bed, and sleep for a few days. But, looking around at his friends, he knew it wasn't going to end quite like that.

"Wow, that's quite a history," Angela said softly, with an almost sad expression. Sweets closed his eyes. The one thing he hated more than anything was for people to pity him. That's why he usually tried to avoid telling anyone about his rather complex past.

"Alright well, I don't know about the rest of you but I'm hungry," Booth said, clearly picking up on Sweets' desire for everyone to more or less leave him alone. It wasn't that he necessarily wanted them to leave, he just couldn't handle the tense mood. Especially when he was the topic of the conversation. And although Booth was not the particularly successful at making the transition nonchalant, Sweets appreciated the gesture.

Everyone else seemed to catch Booth's hint and began saying their slightly awkward goodbyes and well wishes. Everyone except Dr. Brennan.

"I would like to speak you with alone, Dr. Sweets," Brennan said seriously, her features filled with hidden emotion. Sweets suddenly felt sorry for her because he knew she was dealing with some highly uncharted territory for her, but he was also very proud of her. And even though his body begged him to sleep, Sweets owed it to her to listen to what she had to say.

"I would like that very much, Dr. Brennan."

Sweets glanced over at the others who began to trickle out but caught the eye of Booth in particular. Sweets smiled slightly when the agent gave him the thumbs up before leaving. Once everyone else left, Sweets focused his attention on the anthropologist before him.

"Firstly," she began, her eyes wandering a bit before finally focusing on Sweets. "I would like to thank you for protecting me from my attacker. It may have very well saved my life and that of my unborn child."

Sweets tried to refrain from showing any sudden emotion and instead put on his best therapist face. Yes, he was also a friend, but as such, it pained him to consider what could have happened to Dr. Brennan that night. He cared for her, for her unborn baby and for everyone else at the Jeffersonian and to hear her blatantly mention how badly the night could have ended made him feel slightly sick.

"You would have done the same for me," he replied but, after considering her current state, added, "If you were not pregnant, of course."

She seemed to consider that for a moment before nodding. "Yes, I believe that is correct."

Sweets sensed the smallest hint of pain in her last comment and realized her anxiety went far beyond her concern for him. He figured that would be the case but didn't expect her to be questioning her mothering skills so fiercely.

"Dr. Brennan," he said softly, "You did the right thing that night. You protected your child."

Her eyes diverted to the floor now and Sweets' concern grew stronger. "I do not believe that statement to be accurate," she said sternly, her eyes seemingly focused on something on the linoleum floor. "When you were on the ground after being shot, you said that I was going to be a good mother, but I do not understand your reasoning. I do agree running away after you tackled my attacker was best for my child but I cannot deny the fact that my being there, in the first place, was irresponsible as a mother and almost led to your death."

As she finished, she looked at him and for the first time in a long time, he saw unfiltered emotion in her watery eyes. It caught him off guard, which gave her the opportunity to continue before he could negate what she had just said.

"Had I simply stayed at the lab, took the car or went with everyone else in the first place, I would not have put you or my child in danger," she said with a sense of finality. "And for that, I am deeply sorry."

Sweets took control of himself and quickly considered the best route to take with her. He knew he needed to tread carefully as this side of Brennan was very new to them both.

"Dr. Brennan," he began, his tone as neutral as he could make it, "It is not like you to become lost in hypotheses, nor is it like you to draw conclusions based on assumptions."

She frowned, clearly interested in what he had to say.

"You see, there is a flaw in your reasoning," he replied, trying to hold back his coughing or any other sign of weakness, as he knew it would be most beneficial to her; he needed to appeal to her through logic, not emotion.

"I do not understand…"

"First and foremost," he said, hoping that he could ease her anxiety, "you assumed I was only out there because I was following you… but that's incorrect. I actually arrived at the Jeffersonian that night to look for everyone but, after assuming you were all at the diner, I decided to walk there. I only noticed you were out there about a minute before you were attacked. So, chances are, I would have been walking to the diner that night regardless."

The slightest bit of weight seemed to life from her shoulders. He was thankful for that and knew the next part was what she care about most. He only hoped that he addressed it correctly.

"Secondly, I stand by what I said that night," he said seriously as he gazed into her eyes. "You _are _going to be a good mother. I mean, Dr. Brennan, you and I both know you are far more likely to be in a serious car accident than you are of being mugged. So does that mean you are being a bad mother every time you get into a car?"

She seemed to consider this for a moment before shaking her head, "Operating or riding in a vehicle are an unavoidable part of life. Walking, on the other hand…"

"Is good for the baby," he interrupted with a smile. "Exercise is recommended for a healthy baby."

That quieted her. Sweets inwardly sighed in relief, as he knew he was getting through to her.

"Dr. Brennan, the mere fact that you have allowed this emotion to cloud your normally rational mind is proof that you are already a good mother," he continued with a warm smile. "I would be more concerned if you did not seem phased by this whole situation. But the fact remains, nothing you did was wrong. In fact, I know that you fought your natural instinct to fight back to give your child a better chance and that was remarkable. Of course, I'm sure you will avoid the decision to walk by yourself, simply due to experience, but you must not question your mothering skills. You're already doing a fantastic job."

Brennan exhaled deeply and looked away. Sweets continued to observe her, still uncertain as to whether he got through to her or not.

"I knew the hormones would affect the way I think and behave," she said finally with far less emotion present. "But I did not expect this. And your assessment is correct: I allowed my judgment to be clouded and made conclusions based on assumptions."

Sweets continued to watch, thoroughly intrigued, as he could almost see her mind coming to terms with everything that been said and done and rationalizing them.

"While I do intend to avoid walking alone at night from here on out, I no longer doubt my ability to be an adequate mother."

Sweets sighed outwardly this time, pleased to hear those words.

She took a deep breath and began speaking again, "Although I still see psychology as a soft science, I will admit this is the best I've felt since the incident. Thank you, Dr. Sweets."

The young psychologist grinned at her words, taking them only as a compliment.

"Also, in hindsight, I should not have discussed your medical history so publically," she continued, looking him in the eyes. "I believe my judgment was clouded once again and a more private discussion would have been more appropriate."

He nodded in return and replied, "It's quite alright."

She also nodded, accepting the forgiveness, and then turned to the monitor that was currently displaying Sweets' vitals.

"I believe your fever has elevated slightly during our conversation," she commented with a hint on determined concern. "I believe it would be in your best interest to get some rest."

He smiled and said, "You may be right."

"I am," she said simply, to which Sweets fought back a chuckle. "Also, if you would allow it, I would like to remain with you for a little while longer. I promise to be quiet."

Sweets, stunned by her gesture, found himself lost for words. He never considered Dr. Brennan to be a cold, heartless woman. On the contrary, he knew there was so much more behind her stony emotions and compartmentalization. However, it was usually only with Booth that that side of her was visible and even then, it was still shocking.

But now, as he saw that person standing before him, wanting to watch over him while he slept, he suddenly felt warmness he could only remember feeling around his own mother. And that beautiful memory was almost enough to bring tears to his eyes, as he had so badly wanted his parents to be with him since he'd woken up two days ago.

"I would love that," he said softly, forcing back his tears. "Thank you."

She nodded before pulling out a rather large book and relaxing into the chair at his bedside. He smiled tiredly and relished the knowledge that he hadn't physically and mentally felt this good since the ordeal began. With one last glance her way, Sweets allowed the peace and darkness gathering at the corners of his eyes to finally overcome him. And for the first time since Daisy had left weeks before, he didn't feel alone.

* * *

><p><strong>EN: <strong>So, this will probably be the end. I may write a short follow-up but I wanted this to be able to function as an end, just in case. I hope it was okay though and now that I've had a chance to play with the characters in a pretty tame setting, I'll be exploring a bit more here soon. Anyway, thanks for reading and hope to hear from you but if not, thanks and see you next time.


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